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Holy Saturday

This is the Saturday of waiting. Those who call on Jesus Christ in faith for the forgiveness of sin spend often spend this day in reflection as it is the day we remember Jesus’ death. It is the day between the remembrance of His death and the celebration of His resurrection. The ancient church called it “Holy Saturday” and set it apart for special reflection.

Joan Chittister in her excellent book “The Liturgical Year” describes the importance of Holy Saturday in this way:

Holy Saturday faith is not about counting our blessings; it is about dealing with darkness and growing in hope. Without the Holy Saturdays of life, none of us may ever really grow up spiritually…Today, alone and bereft, we come face-to-face with the question we try so hard to avoid the rest of the year: how do we deal with the God of darkness as well as the Giver of light? Have we been abandoned? Are we left on our own in this world? Is there nothing else?

These questions lead us both to reflection and identification of the space between Jesus’ death and resurrection. In fitting analogy she adds,

This is the day of the going down into the tomb – our own as well as Jesus’. It is now the time for us to die to false hope. But it is also time for us to die to faithless despair.

There is the hope that God is in the twilight parts of life as well as in its lucent ones, in the night of the soul as well as in the dawn of life, since both light and dark, night and dawn belong to God.

My hope for all reading these simple words today is that we reflect well in hope of celebrating a risen Savior and that we find Him in both the dark and lucent places of our lives. Mourn and celebrate well my friends.

Who is this?

I'm the husband of an awesome wife (Amy) and father of 3 incredible girls (Meredith, Landry, and Emma). I'm also the pastor of Evident Grace Fellowship in Spotsylvania, VA. I like to bike, run, read, and write. The rest...will show up here eventually.